Fitzsadou,
Not sure what you mean by that. If you are suggesting that ALL Thursdays in the Michaelmas and Lent terms were routinely half-holidays there is no trace of that in the 1951/52 Calendars. In each term the 'CCF Field Day' was on a Thursday, but that's it.
David

Princess Margaret's wedding day was a Whole Holiday 'by command of Her Majesty' as Seaman put it on his notice (all schools had the day off).

I don't remember any extra half-holidays apart from the annual varsity match.

The reason I mentioned prep was to re-inforce your 'busy bee' comment.

A 'surveillant' was (is?) an employee at a French school whose job is to keep order, attendance lists, etc. etc. so that teachers can concentrate entirely on teaching. Basically, monitors did just that, but were not paid for it. I think I spent nearly 10 hours a week just monitoring. So you can see that in Magee's French school, a certain amount of time was freed up for extra academic work. Incidentally, Magee didn't think it did the French pupils any good.

I wasn't at Hertford in 1951, but when I was there we had more lessons to attend than you!

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday had 7x40 minute lessons, 3 before morning break, 2 before lunch and 2 in the afternoon - early afternoon in the summer, later in autumn and spring terms.

Wednesday had the five morning lessons but none in the afternoon, I can't remember whether Saturday had 4 or 5 morning lessons.

Friday had 5x35 minute lessons 'short lessons' in the morning, followed by a form time with the form teacher - apart from addressing envelopes home for reports once a term I can't remember much about form time. Afternoons were back to 40 minutes.

I agree with Michael, we had Princess Margaret's Wedding Day off, all trooped into school hall to watch the service on TV in the morning, fun and games on the school field in the afternoon and an entertainment put on by the staff in the evening. Ascension Day was a whole holiday every year.

Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!

Katherine,
Ref Ascension Day. In 1952 that fell on Thursday 22 May. It is simply marked in the Horsham calendar as 'Ascension Day' without any mention of a holiday. On the other hand, Horsham always had a whole holiday (of blessed memory), which always fell in late June/earl;y July - in 1952 it was on Thursday 3 July.
David

Katherine,
Ref Ascension Day. In 1952 that fell on Thursday 22 May. It is simply marked in the Horsham calendar as 'Ascension Day' without any mention of a holiday. On the other hand, Horsham always had a whole holiday (of blessed memory), which always fell in late June/earl;y July - in 1952 it was on Thursday 3 July.
David

I suspect that that was when the Prep went to the seaside (see above)

“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...”

It sounds positively civilised and cultural Katharine. We got turned out into the local countryside on our whole holiday to do...well, I don't know what. We just got turned out, from age 12 onwards. No-one worried about whether we might come to any harm. I don't know of anyone who did. When we came back we had to tell our housemaster where we'd been (or make it up). On one occasion I thought "sod the countryside" and took my rail pass to go to London instead. I'm sure it was more interesting than the countryside. Well that's how it seemed then anyway.

David, you were boys, we girls had to be protected at all times, accidents might happen! The walls around the school were topped with broken glass. We never knew whether it was to keep us in, or keep marauders out. Remember, we were in a town, not in the country.

We were not allowed out into Hertford alone until we reached the Upper VI, and then not all of the year only the responsible ones. In the O level Year, again when classified as being responsible, we could go out in groups of 3. The idea of being turned out at the age of 12 is beyond the imagination of a Hertford girl!

The nearest we got to such freedom was in the great freeze of 1963(?). That spring instead of playing hockey or netball we had to go for long walks to get our exercise. Each day a route was put up, the Monitresses in one house, by turn, led the way, then everyone else went in groups at their own speed. Monitresses from a different house acted as sheep dogs bringing up the rear an hour or so later, making sure everyone returned to school. We could saunter as much as we liked, along the way, but of course there were lots of others!

Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!

I am querying the timetable for lessons in 1951-52.
Surely the 12.15 p.m. break took place on all days of the week as it was a time to play sports. This was certainly the case up to the late nineteen forties. It had not been possible to black out all the classroom blocks so during the mid winters of World War 2, despite Double British Summer Time being imposed, afternoon classes were held with tea taken at 4.30 p.m.as the Dining Hall windows could not be blacked out.
This may not have occurred every day as I recall some games being played in the early afternoon.
Because of the early tea time tureens of soup were delivered to the Houses in mid evening.

On further reflection I believe that the classroom blocks were blacked out and this did enable lessons to take place after the 4.30 p.m. tea break. This would have enabled games to take place as normal in the afternoon. The Dining Hall windows were definitely not blacked out but those in the Chapel were as I remember attending Evensong and the Carol Service in the evening. Also the Music School where evening Choir practices were held,

Kit,
My timings are taken directly from the official termly calandars.
I only showed the timings for the actual lessons which is the subject of my research. I do have all the other daily timings, but thought that they would clutter up the post.
David

Ascension Day at Horsham was marked by a longer chapel service, and that probably meant no morning PT, because Thursday was a PT day in the summer (the other was Tuesday). But I think that was the extent of it.

I have a vague recollection that one day we had a half-holiday at the request of a famous OB, but I may be dreaming.

Ascension Day at Horsham was marked by a longer chapel service, and that probably meant no morning PT, because Thursday was a PT day in the summer (the other was Tuesday). But I think that was the extent of it.

I have a vague recollection that one day we had a half-holiday at the request of a famous OB, but I may be dreaming.